Ah, the sunny days of spring. We come alive when it makes its way back around. The birds are chirping. Bare feet reconvene with the cool grass. Fields of flowers beckon for daydreams.
As we’re reunited with the sun, we fling open our windows, pull our backless dresses from hibernation and are whisked into the freedom of the open air. We might feel inclined to reinvent our homes and workspaces–rummaging through our closets and drawers, stowing away our boots and sweaters and scrubbing our baseboards and cobwebbed nooks.
So, then, how come we often neglect the areas of our lives that also ask to be wiped of dust and purged of chaos? Because, when we spring clean our inner world, we awaken to realms of beauty and clarity that we weren’t able to experience before. Our zest for living returns–energizing us with fresh inspirations and balmy pursuits.
So if you’re ready to align with the sun, read on. Ahead are 10 rejuvenating ways to usher in joy and step into brighter possibilities.
Grab a notebook and unload all of your “I should”s.
Chances are you’ve got a roster of them. They might find you during endless commutes in your car or on the subway. Or maybe when we’re struggling to quiet your mind chatter late at night. So exile them, one by one, from your head and onto the page. Decide, once and for all, if you will finally turn that “should” into a “could” this spring—maybe even a “done.”
Those things that’ve been nagging you all winter? Let them blow away in the open air.
Did a lover betray your trust? Were you screwed out of a promising promotion you worked furiously for? Did you dole out a string of apologies to a family member who refused to receive them? Whatever it is, if it’s holding your thoughts hostage, purge it from your mind and cast it away. It’s time to stop clenching to the things that haunted you all Winter long. If you can’t change it, you’re only choice in freedom is to let it go.
…and then sink into a gratitude bath.
Buy a stack of “thank you” cards and summon to your mind those who have colored your days. Did someone race to your side when you were stranded? Treat you to a latte in the midst of that rapidly-approaching deadline? Said that thing that sent a lightening bolt through your spell of self-doubt? Call upon those who have gifted you with bursts of compassion, insight and joy, and drop those notes of gratitude in the mail.
Pull the weeds from your relationship garden.
Bring to light all of the relationships that have been dying a slow death for too long. Are there conversations that always seem to be about the same thing going nowhere—draining your stream of happiness, never refilling it with anything positive? Friendships that feel ambivalent, rendering you wondering if they’re truly on your side? If so, it may be time to spring clean your tribe, or at least sweep away some of its members.
…and exterminate the emotional clutter from your devices—from your emails to your photo albums.
If you absolutely must save that ranting novel in your inbox, that screenshot that landed during the aftermath of a breakup, or those drunken videos of you and the fling who toyed with your heart, exile them from your phone and file them away. There is no benefit to stumbling upon anything that casts a storm cloud over your happiest days.
Clean up your music, clean up your mindset.
If you’ve been in a funk over the colder months, burrowed under layers of boredom, fill your speakers with songs that inject you with a dose of the sun. If you’re feeling small, you might blast an empowering anthem. If you’re uninspired, choose something dreamy or soulful.
Music is powerfully infectious energy. Supporting your mood with an uplifting soundtrack will trick you back into a state of celebration.
Untangle from monotony and follow the fragrance of curiosity.
Maybe you could try a sculpting or sushi rolling class. Perhaps plant a box garden or go biking alongside a gorgeous waterfall. Whatever inspires you, pack your calendar with new adventures and quests—giving the stale and old activities less of your attention and time.
Tidy up your social media and nix the negatrons…
Unfriend negative, pity-party throwing people. Unfollow accounts that aren’t aligned with where you wish to be a year from now. This has nothing to do with meanness, pettiness or spitefulness, and everything to do with being a responsible caretaker of your headspace.
…and maybe even commit to a pre-spring digital detox.
This can be a commitment you make to yourself for the first hour of each morning, or perhaps once every Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Designate a time period to stow your phone and laptop away. Be free of the noise of other people’s phoniness, problems, snarky opinions and ranting status updates, focusing solely on the life you wish to grow.
Feed your brain uplifting books and podcasts, making them an integral part of your daily routine.
Look for one that intrigues you, sparks something revolutionary within you or, perhaps, one that fertilizes the seed of that big, unattended idea. Listen while you’re in the shower or sipping your morning coffee. Because your spring will only become as bright and productive as the things you fill it with.
